Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 82472 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82472 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
“Okay, let’s move,” I say, getting up on my feet, and duck, walking to the park. I sneak in between the bushes that line the street.
“I think I just touched dog shit,” John says. “This is on another level even for you.” He crawls behind me, followed by Austin.
“What’s that smell?” Austin asks, dry heaving.
“It’s shit and piss,” John hisses out. “I’m a grown ass man and I’m crawling in a fucking park with a man who needs to be in a straitjacket.”
“Okay, belly crawl is easier. Less people will stare.”
“I can guarantee someone has already alerted the cops,” Austin says breathlessly. “It’s fucking broad daylight. We should have just waited in the car.”
I stop crawling. “Why didn’t you bring this up before?” I ask him, thinking that would have been a better and cleaner idea.
Austin looks like he is about to lunge for me, but a soccer ball comes in our direction, hitting John on the leg. A little girl walks over, about to scream for help.
“Can,” she stutters, “can I have the ball back?” She runs to get the ball and then screams while she runs away from us.
“Okay, we are in position,” I say, opening the bag and grabbing the binoculars, getting on my belly and peering through two shrubs to see the door to Kaleigh’s studio straight ahead.
“What are we looking for?” John asks, trying to look through the hole in the shrubs.
“A blonde,” I tell them, trying to spot her inside. All I see is someone sitting behind the desk.
“Do we even know if she’s here?” Austin asks while smacking a bug that has landed on his forehead. “I really fucking hope there is no poison ivy. Scratch that. I hope there is and I hope you are the only one who rolled in it.” He squeezes his head next to mine, trying to look out.
My head shoots up. “Where else would she be? I mean, people now work till five p.m.”
“Are you saying I rolled in shit and we don’t even know if the woman is here?” John says, standing up, his head going above the shrubs. Austin grabs his hand, yanking him down.
I’m about to say something when a car door has us all holding our breaths along with the beep from the locking of the door. Right in front of us. We look at each other, our eyes going wide.
The footsteps go away from us and I look out just in time to see Kaleigh running across the street to her studio, her long hippy skirt flowing through her legs.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Austin says. “It’s Lauren’s sister. You have got to be kidding me.”
“Oh, this isn’t good at all. Her sister works for us. Can you imagine the law suit?” John shakes his head. “If we get away with this, I’m going to kick your ass.”
“I’m always there for you guys, now focus. She said she couldn’t see me tonight because she has plans.”
“She probably sensed that you were about to go all Jack Nicholas on her and ran for the hills.”
“Shush, she’s coming out,” I say as she walks out with two bouquets of roses in her hand. “Don’t say anything,” I whisper.
They both look at me as if they are going to kill me. We watch Kaleigh put the flowers in her car and then drive off. I put the binoculars back in the bag, rushing up. “Let’s go follow her.”
I’m getting up to run, but my foot had fallen asleep, so I fall on my knees while Austin and John grab me. We run through the shrubs, this time all getting in the car. I put the key in the ignition and am about to drive off when I see lights in my rearview mirror. Red and blue. “Shit just got real.”
Chapter Ten
Kaleigh
“Inhale in,” I say, bringing my arms up over my head. “Exhale out.” My arms come down. “And again,” I say, repeating the same movement. “One last time.” I do my breathing, bringing my arms to my chest. “Namaste,” I say, bowing my head. The class of twenty all say Namaste at the same time. I smile to everyone, getting up, bending over to roll up my yoga mat.
I watch as everyone does the same. Most of the women in the class are part of the PTA at school. I walk out of the room to the front and the pink roses stop me right away. “Who robbed the flower shop?” I ask, going over to smell them.
“No,” Stephanie says, smiling, “The question is how good were you exactly?” She hands me the two cards. I look at her confused. I’ve never really gotten flowers before. I mean, my parents send me some on my birthday, but other than that not really.
I open the card, dragging the white card out.